Nightless nights in the Land of the Midnight Sun

Summer is finally on its way and there’s nowhere
better to make the most of the warmer weather and longer days than in Finland –
the Land of the Midnight Sun. The most iconic of Finnish phenomena, also known
as the nightless night or polar day, the Midnight Sun sets Finland apart from
any other summer holiday destination, where almost endless summer days mean
that there’s twice as much fun to be had in the open air.

When nights are almost as light as day, visitors
can continue their activities long into the night, just with a stunning golden
glow over the landscape. Below
are some suggestions for making the most of the long, light summer nights this
year. For Visit Finland’s top 10 ways to enjoy the Midnight Sun, visit www.visitfinland.com/article/top-10-ways-to-enjoy-the-midnight-sun/

Sailing
in the Åland Archipelago

Exploring Finnish coastal waters is
beautiful at the best of times, but when everything is bathed in an incredibly
warm, bright light, a Midnight Sun sail is a whole other experience. The Åland Archipelago is a
unique collection of more than 6,500 islands at the entrance to the Bothnian
Gulf in the Baltic Sea between Sweden and Finland. Only around 65 of the
islands are inhabited and the archipelago’s outer reaches are only accessible
by boat, but with the extended daylight hours, there’s more sailing time to
reach the more remote islands.

How: Midnight Sun Sailing has a fleet of over 30 yachts with sizes varying
from 26 to 51 feet, with the option of a skipper. A week’s charter for a 27 foot
yacht with two cabins (sleeping six) starts from 850€ without a skipper /
2,250€ with a skipper. www.midnightsunsailing.fi/ / +358 2 428 100

Horse
Riding in Northern Lapland

Far north of the Arctic Circle, in
the depths of the Sami land of Lapland, the Midnight Sun creates a fairy-tale-like
scene across the forested hills and fells. Exploring the Lappish wilderness on
horseback is one of the most peaceful and invigorating ways to feel the effect
of the Midnight Sun. A two day riding tour from Kamisak Farm leads through the
Lappish countryside, across the varying landscape of the Samis, to a wilderness
cabin complete with a Finnish sauna to be enjoyed under the golden glow of the
Midnight Sun.

How: Kamisak offers overnight Midnight
Sun riding tours from 1 June to 31 October for groups between 2 and 6 people.
The excursion, priced from 420€ per person, includes helmet,
guide service, liability insurance, all meals during the tour and one night’s
accommodation in a cabin. www.kamisak.com / +358 50 570 7871

A
Round of Golf in Oulu

Although golf isn’t the first sport
associated with Finland, the game has been growing in popularity since the
1980s with thanks in part to the growth of Midnight Sun tournaments held each
summer. Oulu Golf Club, on Finland’s western coast, is the northernmost 36-hole
golf course in the world and it’s not uncommon to see players starting their
round at 9pm in the evening and playing throughout the night under the Midnight
Sun. During the midsummer months, the sun rarely goes below the horizon so the
light only dims slightly and since it’s a countryside course, the area is
remarkably quiet around midnight, with only the occasional bird singing. Bears
have even been spotted during midnight games.

How:
Oulu Golf Club is
located in the town of Sanginsuu, 18km east of Oulu, and is open 24 hours a day
during the midsummer months. Green fees are 50€ a day, which allows you to play
as many rounds as you wish in a 24 hour period. golfpiste.com/oulungolfkerho/
+358 8 531 5222

Wildlife Watching in Wild Taiga

During the nightless
nights, nocturnal animals still wake up to prey in the evening but don’t have
their usual shelter of darkness, providing one-of-a-kind opportunities to
observe and photograph rarely-seen animals, such as bears, wolves and wolverines.
The
untouched forests and lakes of Taiga in Eastern Finland are one of Europe's
last great wilderness areas, attracting both wildlife and landscape
photographers under the Midnight Sun.

How: Taiga Spirit
offers overnight excursions to a special hide in the heart of Wild Taiga, where
bears, wolverines, white-tailed eagles and owls are among the wildlife that can
be observed and photographed in their natural habitat. Excursions are priced
from 80€ per person for a night in a hide equipped with a bed, sleeping bag,
dry toilet and picnic blanket. www.taigaspirit.com
/ +358 40 7468 243

Sunset Paddling in the Lakeland

Finland is not only known as the ‘Land of the
Midnight Sun’, but also the ‘Land of a Thousand Lakes’ (although there are
actually over 180,000 of them) so combine the two on a sunset kayak trip in the
Lakeland region, which occupies most of central and eastern Finland. Lake
Saimaa, the largest lake in Finland and the fourth largest in Europe, represents
Finland’s Lake District at its best. With hundreds of islands and broad open
waters to explore, the extended daylight mean more time to make the most of the
area, while watching the sunset over the watery landscape is a breathtaking
experience.

How: Kolovesi
Retkeily Canoe Outfitters rents canoes and sea-kayaks and offers independent
and guided trips, both pre-planned and tailor-made, across the protected lake
areas. Kayak rental costs from 35€ for one day and includes life jackets, one
dry bag, and a map for the self-guided routes. www.sealtrail.com
/ +358 40 558 9163

Getting
There: Finnair flies
direct to Helsinki from London Heathrow (return fares start from £135 in July)
and Manchester (return fares start from £140 in July). Finnair then serves the
rest of the country with its regional flight network. Fares include all taxes
and fees. www.finnair.com

Visit Finland, i.e. the Finnish Tourist Board, is a state agency actively promoting Finland as a destination for foreign travelers. Visit Finland works closely with Finnish travel regions, travel businesses, transport companies and ministries, marketing tourism to Finland from abroad.Visitfinland.com